Baxter Ross
Appearance: Baxter is a large man-dog, standing 6 foot 4. Not just tall, but built with both muscle and fat. He has a little bit of a belly. He dresses rather plainly; under(or over, whatever is easier) his chain shirt is a white buttoned shirt(sleeves rolled up or not, whatever is easier), tucked into beige slacks, tapering down to a dressy shoe. On his belt is a small assortment of tools, a billyclub, and a revolver. A small point of light circles his head. Backstory: Early Life: Baxter’s extended family lived in packs on the plains outside the city of Minus. Everyone knew everyone, and were either family of some kind, or friends close enough to call family. Growing up in this environment instilled in Baxter the idea that the whole world was like this; smiling faces, friends waiting to be found. The rougarou, a historically nomadic people, had skirted close to the city of Minus for years, flirting with the idea of integrating into the city. Some members of the pack worked directly within the city, while most others either had laborer jobs outside the city walls or simply cared for the pack. Baxter’s mother joined the police force of Minus, a division that had routes to protect the communities close outside Minus proper. She eventually became a full member of the Constabulary, a liaison for the Rougarou people. Baxter’s father was a baker, and had a full shop on the outskirts of Minus. They had a lot of children, and Baxter’s childhood was a wholesome and happy one. Young Adulthood: Baxter grew to large size early in life, but never had the bark to back it up. He was a sensitive soul who like poetry, math, and music. He was often teased for overthinking things, and affectionately called “the paperboy” since he was always writing everything down. The elders tried to pull him into their politics on whether to integrate into Minus or to stay independent, but Baxter couldn’t emotionally handle the arguing it caused and strayed from any talk of the topic. Baxter’s group of close friends would romp around in the wilds, occasionally sneaking far from the pack. As they grew older, they tried to become “adventurers”. This proved unsuccessful, and after a few months gone, they came trudging back to the pack, a few members down. Baxter had returned with a small stone that shone a bright, honey golden light, some kind of relic they had found on their excursions. It took Baxter a while to cope with the loss of family, but he eventually came around. Adulthood: It came time for Baxter to choose a real path through life, and decided to follow in his mother’s footsteps. He found himself intrigued by the idea of solving crimes and protecting the masses, and joined the police force of Minus. Over the last ~20 years he has worked his way through the ranks of the police force to detective. He is very dedicated to his job, and is near constantly working on a case. Often he will be so consumed by a case he will take his work home, stay in the office overnight, or forget to sleep and eat. This level of dedication has done him well in the eyes of his superiors, but left him feeling empty. Or it would have, if he hadn’t found the love of his life. Another Rougarou, Neil, worked with Baxter in the police force, and they found themselves drawn to each other. The two were together for over a decade, and Baxter was convinced he had found the one. He, in his mind, was fully dedicated to Neil and was excited to live their lives together. After time, Neil became unhappy. He realized Baxter was too dedicated to his job, and they rarely got to spend time together. Where Baxter was upped through the ranks, Neil was content to take the cushy, comfortable jobs in the force. And Baxter was so busy, they never got officially married nor nailed down any plans to do so. In light of all of this, Neil left Baxter. Baxter is rather pathetic when it comes to this, and never truly moved on. Now: Baxter is living alone in his home in Minus. He has officially been promoted to Detective, working hard on a drug trafficking case involving the distribution of Balsean. Other than this his has been a bit of a shut in, too embarrassed to show up to family functions without Neil.